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Fae Brueckner
A gentle soul, Fae Brueckner is the curator of the Cloisters, a branch of the New York Museum of Art, and a doctorate student at NYU, majoring in Medeival Art History. During the Shift, however, she lost a considerable portion of herself to a creature once bound between worlds - the Ba'al-ze-Neckt known as Mal'alanahk. A creature of terrifying power and malevolance, "Mal" suffuses her human counterpart entirely as the sun sets, and works to regain the power she once held over the world... Abilities As a Human As a human, Fae is generally nothing too far beyond the ordinary – attractive, yes, but no more powerful than her build would suggest. She is by no means weak, plenty capable of moving most art pieces on her own if the need arises without having to find someone for help (excepting the ones that get truly grand in scale), and generally keeps in shape. She has an extensive knowledge of art history, especially centering around the Middle Ages, which her specialty lies in. She is well-versed in general history as well, as a side effect – one cannot understand the motivations of the artists in an era without similarly understanding the events that surrounded them at the time. A painter herself, she is skilled with a brush, and took elective classes in biology – she enjoys the painting of living things most of all. She is also fluent in French and German, as well as a number of other European tongues, and some ancient languaged As the Ba'al-ze-Neckt When night falls, as the Ba’al-ze-neckt, the story is very different. The change begins to take hold as the sun falls, though it is not until the light of the sun is gone entirely that the Lady of the Night takes over. The Ba’al is a type of psychic vampire, and among the most powerful of all the creatures that the Shift brought or returned to the world. She stands nearly three times the height of her human counterpart, and possesses terrible physical and psionic abilities. The Ba'al does not always transform immediately, however - being human sized does have its advantages, especially in this era of buildings with entrances and hallways far too small for her true form. Strength - Partially as a result of the sheer size of the creature, the Ba’al has immense physical strength, at least the equal of the strongest werecreatures and quite likely beyond. Combined with its vicious intellect, the Ba’al is potentially the equal of several of these creatures in combat. Her strength is such that it enables her to climb buildings or other surfaces with ease, even leap straight up over ten stories or laterally for several hundred yards, making her movements easy to mistake for flight. Armor ''- Much of the Ba’al’s form is covered in thick, black armor made of a material much like bone. The armor is made of hundreds of plates which slide over one another and are flexible to a degree – as part of her body, they do not impair her movement. She is capable of shifting the position of some of the plates consciously, such as retracting the claws on her fingertips to allow for greater dexterity, while other movements may be for agility, or aesthetic. The armor is tough enough to repel a variety of attacks, from physical blows up to many varieties of small-arms fire. Especially large rifle rounds are likely to penetrate, though the armor does provide some protection, and her great size (and supernatural nature) makes wounds less significant. The blackness of the armor blends in exceptionally well with the darkness of night, making the huge creature surprisingly difficult to see. ''Senses '' - Like most such creatures, the Ba’al’s hearing, eyesight, and sense of smell are sharper than a human’s – in this, her capabilities are similar to a vampire’s. She also possesses a sixth sense, an ability to sense supernatural creatures, angels and demons in particular – these creatures are a particular delicacy for her. ''Psychic Vampirism - The final and most feared power of the Ba’al is the method by which she feeds. Her touch, skin against skin, is enough to open a connection between her nervous system and that of the victim, through which she can almost immediately begin to drain away the victim’s mind. Initially, this causes little more than a sense of detachment, a sluggishness in the victim’s mind. Should the victim not succumb (or should it be actively resisting), the Ba’al can speed the process forcefully. This does not provide the Ba’al with sustenance, as it requires time to slowly pull what it needs from the victim, but it can and does cause intense pain to the target. This also tends to obscure the memory of the encounter with the creature – those who have felt its touch will find its appearance and other details of the event difficult to recall at all, and even then the memories will be much like trying to recall a dream. Once the victim is subdued, the Ba’al begins the process of feeding from it. Feeding takes several hours to complete, over the course of which she systematically draws out and consumes the memories of the target. Memories are taken in order, most recent ones first, while deep, long term memories take hours for the Ba’al to reach – how tightly held the memory is also matters, as the victim’s mind will fight to protect such memories. Last to go are skills, particularly ones trained deep into muscle memory and deeper levels of the brain. Memories which are read from the victim are not lost from their mind immediately – the actual loss and consumption follows a little behind the Ba’al’s reading of the memory. The Ba’al can read ‘shallower’ memories this way without destroying them, but it cannot reach deeper levels without consuming what lies above – perhaps because the temptation and hunger is too great. While she typically sees no reason to do so, she can erase only specific memories, so long as she can access that level – most commonly, to erase the memory of ever having encountered her. The length of time it takes to fully drain a victim varies according to the victim’s strength of will, but is typically several hours. An incomplete feeding results in the loss of whatever was taken prior to the severing of the link – the victim will wake hours later, with no memory of the event – or of many years leading up to it. Memories consumed by the Ba’al are lost forever, and cannot be recovered by normal means. A victim who is drained completely falls into a coma, their mind utterly destroyed and beyond recovery. The body shows no signs of damage, the person will never wake again. Perhaps most dangerously, the Ba’al does not simply consume the memories, but takes them into itself. She carries within her the memories and even the skills of every person she ever consumed… and this vast library of knowledge and skills continues to grow. This is the only aspect of the Ba’al’s power which carries over to Fae – while she has no control over it, she does occasionally get flashes of memory or find herself instinctively performing a skill she never learned… Resilience - Despite sometimes being referred to as a type of ‘psychic vampire’ for its method of feeding, the Ba’al is not a vampire, but a different type of creature entirely. The creature’s power does make it difficult to kill, even should one crack its armor, and by drawing on her stored energy, she can survive and later regenerate what would appear to be lethal wounds. Should the damage be particularly serious, the creature will have to wait until the end of the night, when the transformation reverses, to be healed fully. In the case of the most severe wounds, those leaving the Ba’al just short of death, the creature may revert to human form instantly even if the night is not over, and it is likely Fae will remain wounded as well – perhaps even lethally, though the Ba’al can typically heal enough to make the wound survivable. Of course, this leaves Fae without protection. In addition to her physical resistance to damage, the Ba’al is extremely resistant to psychic attack. To a psionic, the Ba’al’s mind is a maelstrom, a massive torrent of thoughts and memories that can cause immense pain to anyone attempting to enter. Because of this, she is almost entirely immune to psionic intrusion, and the strength of so many minds also renders her highly resistant to other forms of psychic attack. In human form, this is significantly lesser, but as the memories of the Ba’al lurk in the back of Fae’s mind, attempting to delve beyond her surface memories will also cause intense pain – though to her, as well. Transformation - Once the Ba'al has taken over her body, it is capable of taking its true form at any time, or returning to Fae's at need. The process is not especially quick, however, and while in Fae's form, she shares Fae's vulnerability. The transformation, however, unleashes her considerable regenerative cabability at its peak, so most wounds heal during it. Even so, enough damage delivered during the shift may stop it, or even prove lethal. Appearance Flame haired and extremely fair skinned, yet hardly fragile, Fae is a rare beauty, with soft features and a smile that can warm even the coldest heart - or light it aflame, if it should be her intent. It is her eyes, however, that tell the most, such a light blue they seem almost colorless, they have a quiet power that says more than her words. A look from Fae can say a great deal, and can lift spirits with her wink, or bring them crashing down at her glare. She is far more likely to deliver the former, however, and her smile comes much quicker. Fae is a gentle woman, but never fragile, comfortable with her ample curves and unafraid to use them, but rarely overt, she dresses very differently depending on the occasion. Since she spends the vast majority of her time at work or school, however, he outfits are most often on the conservative side, though never so far as to be considered prudish. Fae most often wears her hair up, and wears little jewelry aside from a bracelet with bluish-green crystals set into it, and one of a small collection of necklaces. The Ba’al, however, is a different story completely. The creature shares some of Fae’s qualities, being similar of shape, and the most similarity is in the face, where they are almost identical, at least in the shape – when her face is visible. In stark contrast, however, is nearly everything else. Her already pale skin grows even more colorless, bloodless and stark white, stretched tightly over the muscles beneath, to the point where it seems almost transparent, showing the black veins beneath. The normally gentle blue eyes turn a deep crimson, and glow faintly in the dark, especially when her eyes land on prey. Her red hair thickens significantly, into strands like slender ropes, and darkens to a pitch black hue. It flows behind her even when there is no wind, as though the black strands each have a life of their own, like vile worms. Even more terrible, she stands more than fourteen feet high, more than a head over even most werecreatures, and is covered in thick, iridescent black armor. This armor can cover the entire body, depending on the creatures whim, and it has a small ability to alter its appearance – when the armor grows over her face, the face beneath seems to change as well, at least to some degree, as a massive, fanged maw can sometimes open in the ‘helmet’. Whether this is simply hidden when she shows her human face, or only forms when the armor closes over, is unknown. Personal Belongings Fae always carries a small notebook and pencil for sketches, as well as to make notes on her schedule for a day, or anything else that needs recording. She also rarely leaves home without her bracelet, and work has forced her to go nowhere without her Blackberry. The Ba'al has no need of items of any sort, and only carries what Fae has left her with, though these items are usually left behind until morning, unless needed. Personality Fae is a generally soft spoken woman, not shy in the slightest, but she speaks quietly and gently as a rule, a soothing presence in most situations. She is kind but rarely coddling, and has a special skill at getting things taken care of, as well as coaxing people to help even if they seem disinclined to do so. She prides herself on her competence, on keeping organized and punctual, and being able to recall information at a moment’s notice. This of course, is one of many reasons that the utter gap which swallows her memories of every night has hit her so hard. Since the Shift, this has been eating away at her spirit and at her sanity, though her strength of will has kept her together up until this point. The fact that she often finds herself instinctively performing a complicated task which she has never learned only does more to unnerve and distress her. It is only the fact that many people have developed abilities that keeps her from panicking – she has no idea what the truth of the source of this knowledge is, and she would be beyond horrified if she ever learned. Her goal, at this point in her life, is to finally finish her doctorate and eventually rise to head curator at one of the world’s great art museums, though with her inevitable blackouts, this goal has never seemed further away for her. Her PhD, however, is very close to completion. While she can be a firm disciplinarian (and her rare ‘talks’ with those who have done wrong, particularly those under her at work, are near legendary) Fae is very nonviolent, always preferring to use her various other skills in place of anything that might cause harm. In many ways, she is nearly the opposite of the creature which she becomes in the night. The Ba’al is a vicious creature, and cares nothing for the lives of others, seeing all creatures merely as vessels for collecting knowledge. To her, a human (or any other creature, really) exists to collect knowledge over the course of its life much like a chalice, that she might drink of it and collect every drop for herself. It would be easy to assume that the Lady believes herself to be a deity, but she sees herself much more as an elemental force – an inevitability. No prey she truly desires escapes her, even those who believe they have avoided her touch will fall to her eventually, as she is immortal and infinitely patient. So much so, in fact, that she has been known to let prey go on occasion, if she believes the knowledge they will collect later in life will be worth the wait – letting a victim’s mind age, much like fine wine, is something she favors. For this reason, she rarely preys on the young and prefers above all else to consume the minds of other immortal creatures. The Ba’al considers being one of her victims an honor, a chance for the victim to attain a measure of immortality by becoming part of the vast library of minds within hers. She understands why many resist this, however, and bears them no grudge for their inevitably futile attempts to resist; she enjoys their fear - and the hunt far - too much. She regards all creatures the way a vampire might view humans: as cattle. At best, she regards them as minor amusements or perhaps servants, one reason it so infuriates her that she has been forgotten by nearly the entire world. They will be reminded, all of them… but on her time. For now, she feeds, and learns of this new world. Technology in particular is of great interest to her, as it did not exist in her time, and she finds both it and those who develop and use it to be fascination. The latter, she also finds quite delicious… History Fae grew up in a fairly traditional household in Portland, Oregon. Her mother was one of the head gardeners and botanists at the International Rose Test Garden, while her father was a well-regarded civil engineer. Both were very religious, and she grew up with a strong base of regular church attendance and support from both them and the community there. She always did well academically, and went to the University of Portland, a private Catholic university, after graduating near the top of her class from her high school. She completed the first two years of her education there, before deciding that she had spent too much of her life in the same place to be able to properly call herself an artist. After a minor falling out with her parents over her decision to leave, Fae went to Europe, where she spent two years in Paris attending the University of the same name, and three years at the University of Berlin, where she completed her Master’s-level education. She took a great deal of time away from her studies, taking small jobs at archaeological digs, aiding in the recovery and restoration of ancient art – something which would become her great passion. She remained in Europe, traveling to many places and spending time working in several of the great museums there, including a short stint as an art-preservation specialist at the Louvre itself. After more than ten years in Europe, Fae finally returned to the United States, at first returning to Portland, but after so long away, so much personal growth, and seeing so many new things, she simply could not return to that place, could not be the same old Fae everyone seemed to expect. She spent only six months at home before moving again, accepting a job at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where she became one of the top assistants to the Curator, effectively put in charge of “The Cloisters”, a separate building in upper Manhattan which houses the museum’s huge collection of medieval art, Fae’s specialty. In November of 2012, the Cloisters received a massive shipment of recently discovered pieces, which she was able to obtain through some of her old contacts from the archaeology business back in Europe. Obtaining the collection was to be one of the biggest events of the year, and had placed Fae in perfect position to move up to the museum’s top position. Fate, it seemed, had other plans. On the night of the Shift Fae was working a late night at the Cloisters, as she often did, authenticating and categorizing the many pieces for the eventual display. When the event occurred that would change the entirety of the world, she had been examining a huge painting of a woman. A terrifying woman clad in black armor, with corpses strewn about her feet, that she was deeply puzzled by. It was not typical of the age, certainly not since the time of the early Romans and the goddess Minerva had it been common to portray a woman as a warrior, and certainly not dressed in such a way. That, however, was not the disturbing part – the frame was carved from ebony and a type of obsidian by the look of it, and analysis of the paint had come back to show that much of the paint had been mixed using blood as a pigment. It had been sealed in a deep underground vault with a great deal of medieval art, but it seemed far, far older somehow… perhaps collected in those days by someone who had found it elsewhere. While she toyed with a number of theories as to what the painting was intended to represent, or who might have made it, the great Shift occurred, and her questions answered… at least they would have been, if she could have retained the memories. The painting had indeed been made long before the vault it was buried in had been created, and for a very specific purpose, after a long and bloody conflict. It had been made to contain a creature, one which had cut a swath through the world for centuries, perhaps even millennia, finally stopped… with magic having failed, the seal of the painting had failed as well – but the Shift had brought the Ba’al-ze-neckt back with it, and into a painting which no longer prevented it from escaping. It returned weakened, however, without its form, yet providence had delivered one to it. Black tendrils lashed out from the painting, the frame and the canvas melting away as it flowed out along the tendrils, locking around Fae even as she tried in vain to scream for help. It claimed her form, and ensured that she would never remember what had happened… she would be the caretaker of its form – for her body belonged to it now, not to her – during the day, when it was forced to hibernate. This was something it knew it could never allow her to know, however… she would remain ignorant for as long as it was able, while it grew in power and found a way to bring her to its way of thinking. She had plenty of time, after all, and a whole new world which had been given thousands of years to gather new knowledge for her to collect. By day, she would let her human counterpart live her life. But when the sun fell… the Ba’al would reclaim her title, and be the Lady of the Night once more. The world had forgotten, but it would be made to remember… Since then, it has been gathering knowledge slowly, patiently, keeping its presence hidden while it learns of the various factions and technologies that now have such influence in the world. Fae remained almost completely ignorant of just what she has become for nearly a year, the Ba’al able to give her just enough of a false recollection of her nights to keep her from realizing that she has been blanking out entirely every night. As time goes on, however, she has become more and more difficult for it to fool, especially as the memories it has consumed have begun to leak slowly into her subconscious. She is now almost certain that it is no longer her controlling her actions in the night, but while it has become increasingly stressful for her, she has mentioned it to no one. Even her work, to which she is so dedicated, is slowly beginning to suffer, and she no longer believes that she can continue to ignore what has happened to her. It may be some time yet before she seeks anyone out – she fears knowing what she has been doing in the night just as much as she fears not knowing, perhaps even more. Time Line April 15th, 2014 - Tennis Ball, Anyone?: Fae meets a close friend of hers in the park for lunch... and tries to cope with her own slowly fraying sanity. April 16th, 2014 - Curiosity - Mal'alanahk, keeping Fae's form, goes to visit Fiona Danu, a shopkeeper and witch who she has learned may have information or even be in possession of something of great importance to the Ba'al. She may also meet the only human so far that she has some respect for... April 17th, 2014 - I Come with Tidings of Bad News and Apple Juice: Fae, still coping with the weight of her duties at the museum given the upcoming big exhibit revealing, meets the new security on the project... and learns that there may be more danger than she thought to the big event. April 18th, 2014 - The Darkness that Scars your Mind: On a whim, Mal'alanahk uses Fae's form to go out in the night and observe the mortals at play. Her initially nonviolent intentions, however, are derailed when a great angel (Minori) dares to offer her salvation - and threaten judgment. Infuriated by the temerity of the creature, to claim any such thing in the name of a god who was once no better than she, Mal shows her true form and attacks, leaving the angel and the three witnesses without any clear memories to identify her by later. She does leave the ladies alive, however... their deaths, for some reason, do not fit into her plans... April 22nd, 2014 - It's like Night and Day: Sacrificing some of her nighttime to maintain the illusion that nothing is wrong with her lovely host, Mal'alanahk takes a few of Fae's wealthy art patrons out to a Persian restaurant, where another ancient happens to be eating - a djinn of the earth named Marid, inhabiting an agent named Samuel Colt. An Order of Ulrich psychic also makes an appearance. A much more entertaining night than most, after all. July 17th, 2014 - Festival at Omenwich Square - Having laid low for some time after her last excursion, quietly feeding and increasing her power, Mal attends a festival in one of her favorite parts of town - and once again meets the lovely Fiona. She has plans for the flame-haired fire witch... but what they are remains to be seen... July 14th, 2014 - An Explosion of Metal and Fire - Returning from one of Fae's business trips on a night flight, Mal'alanahk contents herself with courting potential victims on the plane... until it crashes, nearly killing even her. Her harvest of the dying, however, is interrupted by a special find... a king high on his own supply, and a series of other monsters. So very many distractions... October 1st, 2014 - Something Succulent This Way Comes ((AC)) - Attending a burlesque show to woo some potential donors from out of the country, Fae encounters the night's star after the show. October 8th, 2014 - Moonlight - After reuniting with a girl named Rose, who Fae took in several years before the Shift but who ran away from home almost three years ago, Fae goes to meet the girl outside her workplace to go and see her sing. In the meantime, however, Rose became a vampire, and is frightened of how poor, 'human' Fae might survive in her new world. Unfortunately for the two, their meeting takes place during the full moon. Not a safe time for two poorly protected ladies out at night... but a perfect time for the Ba'al. Trivia Allies Enemies Category:Factionless Category:Humans Category:Possessed Category:Veil Crossers Category:Characters